Shame on those blaming Mayor Cory Booker for the senseless murders that occurred in Newark (“3 Students Blown Away,” Aug. 6).

It is time for people to accept the fact that a generation of poor parenting and a welfare mentality has created a town filled with thugs who have no respect for law-abiding citizens, the law or themselves.

Lord knows, when I did wrong I didn’t blame it on Ed Koch.

K. Reagan Manhattan

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As bad as these crimes were, what will follow will be even worse. One can bet with a fair degree of certainty that even if the murderers are caught, prosecuted and convicted, they will not serve life in prison.

Long after this horrible crime is forgotten by the liberals, the families will remember and the victims will still be dead.

At that point, the murderers will be quietly released from prison because, after all, they will have suffered enough.

While I cannot predict the future, I feel with a fair degree of certainty that the murderers will never be punished in any meaningful way.

Andrew MacDonald Fanwood, N.J.

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Job Opportunity: Two leaders needed to go to Newark and stop the senseless slaying of young people.

The perfect contenders for the job are Revs. Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson.

It would show that they care for all people, not just the headline-grabbing situations that satisfy their need to be in the limelight.

They should come join the families of these young people and try to help them, not advance their own notoriety.

If they are really interested in helping disadvantaged youth, they should start by getting the guns off the streets of Newark and helping make it safe for all.